Several arrests have been made after a Sarco "suicide" capsule was allegedly used for the first time.
The capsule, designed by Australian euthanasia advocate Philip Nitschke, was constructed using 3D printing technology and includes a reclining seat and works by allowing its user to replace the oxygen in the sealed gas chamber with nitrogen by pushing a button. The user would then fall asleep and suffocate to death by hypoxia.
Police in Switzerland's Schaffhausen canton stated Tueday that multiple people were arrested on suspicion of inciting, aiding and abetting suicide after allegedly assisting in the willful euthanization of an elderly United States citizen. The elderly woman had reportedly been suffering from a severe autoimmune disease, reported AFP.
Among the detainees are a photographer from The Dutch newspaper Volkskrant who attempted to photograph the capsule, and Florian Willet, co-president of The Last Resort, the group behind the creation of the capsule.
The arrests were made after law enforcement received a tip from a lawfirm indicating that assisted suicides were being conducted in a remote cabin in Merishausen. Criminal proceedings for those arrested have been opened.
"In Switzerland on Monday, a 64-year-old woman died in a specially designed 'suicide capsule' containing nitrogen gas. It is the first time ever that this suicide capsule, called the Sarco, was used," Exit International stated in an online press release. "The capsule, an airtight cabin the size of a coffin, offers, according to its creators, a 'quick, peaceful and reliable death' without the assistance of a doctor or medication."
According to Swiss law, suicide is legal as long as the individual commits with no external influence or assistance. Furthermore, if a person wishes to be assisted in committing suicide, those assisting may not have any personal motive in doing so.
"It is still unclear how Swiss justice will react to this," continued Exit International's statement. "The conditions set by the country are that the person with the death wish is mentally competent, that they carry out the final deadly act themselves and that the people who help have altruistic motives."
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